Cowl ventilator mechanism



July 11, 1950 Filed Dec. 6, 1945 C. F. KRAMER COWL VENTILATOR MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CLARENCE F. KRAMER INVENTOR 6,0,; aim? rah/A 254 ATTORNEYS.

July 11, 1950 c. F. KRAMER COWL VENTILATOR MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1945 CLARENCE.F. KRAMER INVENTOR XAr/JM' J'Zwa A wia ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 11, 1 950 atr um OFF-ICE;

COWL VENTILATOR MEGHANISM? Clarence F. Kramer, Birmingham, Mich; assignor I I to,:Ford.'Motor Company; Deal-born; Mich:, t I corporation ,ofDelaware Anpl icationgDecember, 6,1945;.SeriaLN;633lil921.

sci-ai s.- (01. 75-470 Thisainvention is concernedwiththe ventilation ofnvehicl-e bodies, andmore. particularly with .a. mechanism-for controlling a ventilating. opening inra vehicle. i

In :previously employed; mechanisms for com.

trolling;- ventilator bodies, it, has .been necessary tQ-insertanassembledaportion. of the mechanism into --the1-.-ventilatingaperture in: the-body; and then-ate -cornpletethe assembly within. the body. This iofycourseinvolved working in cramped quare ters.-.-:and made-(such installations. time-consum-.

A ventilator-control.mechanism constructed in accordance (with; .the present invention. is -.quite compact. and+capable of;complete assembly .prior.

toqinsertion into?thesventilating-aperture in-the,

body. The-entire mechanismiasi -a.unit is,..inserted' intozrthe body; and no, assembly -operations areerequired; after it is in placee Thus assembly Operations;'-in-,ther-acramped= interior ;-of the body ane-avoidedr f Other-71and ifurtherr'advantages-will-Joe.appan v ent'rfromxthedescription-tsetiorth in,;the specificat-ionr; claimed? int; theyfollow-i-ng claims and shown-fin;the:accompanying drawings;.inwhichzz Figure-:1 is; a..plan-viewg partlyain. section; of the enteriorwofiathe bodygzshowing the ventilator in: a

closedrposition;

: Figure :2 is: an elevationxiofathev ventilator cone-- trolling mechanismzzini.the closed'-rposition, takenalohgrzZ-r-ZwinFigure :1.}.

have beenfdesignatedbylike numbers.

Title-invention will be described particularly in. connection witha.cowlventilator iri a truck body, but applicable wherever a :like' problem 'isliencounteredf Ttirning firstto-Figure 1; there is shown a general view of theastructure, looking (1irefctl y into *tl'ie opening provided in the body ior the venti-later, The left ha'li oi; this figurex-is an unsectioned view, showing the ventilator cover 28 in place and in the fully closed portion. The portion of ventilator cover 28 just to the right of center has been cut away to show screen 33.

.Still iurtliertothe.rlght;screen 33 has, been re-% movediito showiin general .the .position of the op er ating ,,mechanism. This. drawing also. shows; rainlgutterjd. ,This guttemextends across the width of the bodyband completely, surrounds the opening providedjin the body; to receive .the ,ven-* tilatoricontrel mechanism. A portion of this gutter is hidden by engine. hood 29 A and3jventi-,; latorxcoverh28. The number 30 designates .the usualgasket.interposed between the body and.

enginehood. y p, p

Figures ,2' and, 3 ,show the controlling mech anismin the closedand fully .open position; re spectively... These drawings illustrate the opened and.' olos.edi p osition of. ventilator. cover 28,. ;its suppqltt on lever J3. and 'coaction withyentilitor.

gasket-.3 I ..'to, .iormr a. weather .tight seaL. Raingutter Bliselsofihhwn on bothsides .oi the ventilator openin Bothmfuthese views. are .of course a.S8,C.tiQn,taken a1ong. ,2.-2 in Figure. 1.] The op,-

eraticinand 'significancepi (the, other partsv pore; trayd.,in 1*igures..2 and} 'willjbe described more: particularlyincuhnectionwith FiguresA, 5 and .6. Figu1'el.4 .is afldetailwview. taken along l l in, Figure-..2 anclwshowstheilinkage. used, to connect the operating,- element ,.l 2 (Figures ,2, ,3 ,and 6); andleveri l3. .(Eigurea-Z and 3.), Iti'is desirable totprovide.suificientiriction inthis linkage to hold the. ventilator fixed in... any ,desired position be: tweenazfullyi openedhanclaclosedm This -friction is obtainedaby meansabfmlspring l8 which. acts; through .Iriction washer. 1.1 -.to compress together the operating element and fixed base. plateJl. (Figuresz 3.and.fi).. This spring .isiheldin place and adjusted.asito.tensionbyadjustment nutj l9. The...connectionbetween lever i 3 .and operating element l2. is...throughgresilient. connector, l4.. Thishconneotoriisizat .one. .end. rotatablyflsecured to lever l3 .hy pivot ,3 Standiat. thepther end rigidly but, adjustably secured. to. bo1t, member ,l 6,. The endsiofrresilientv connector l4 intended .toQbe.

fEtStBIlGtivtQ-bfllt member I5 isthreaded as shown;

at I5. Adjustment of this connection, servesto increase or...decrease. -the lockingiaction of slot 237in:the-\fullyeclosedposition; Bolt. member ,I 6 canbewlilcenedfitoianwordinary ,bolt .withanene largedtheadywhich...headis,..radially.drilled.and

tapped to receiveeresilientmember J4.. Thestein of bolt member I6 is carriedxotatably in..fo1lower 2t, .asanwre .clearly shown in .Fi-gure 5. Fixed v base {plates} I. anddever, .are-pivotally oined. at 2 in. Redtz't. (Figureil extends ..the..width oi \the cowl opening andnperateaamember correspond:

ing to and serving the same purpose as lever ['3 on the left side of the drawing.

Figure 5 is a detail of base plate ll, showing convenient form and preferably has as a center line a straight line. The curved shape of resilient connector I4 is shown. Theresiliency in,-

herent in this curved elementaids in the locking mechanism. The follower containing bolt member I 6 is journaled in the area defined by the intersection of base plate, slot 23, and operating element slot 26. It i thought that the op-' eration of the controlling mechanism will be apparent from a consideration together of Figures 2,.3 and'fi. The path of follower 20 and hence bolt member I6 is of course fixed by the shape and location of slots 23 and 26. The motion of the bolt member 16 is transmitted through resilient connector I 4 to 'lever i3. which is thus caused to pivot about joint]2I.

A locking action in the closed position is provided by the confi uration given base plate slot 23; at the right. This locking action is accomplishedv by the combined actionof curve 24 and locking opening 25. A consideration of Figure 2 will show that when the follower 20 has proceeded to the upper limit of locking opening 25. any force attempting to open ventilator cover 28 will simply tend to move the follower 29 in a direction normal to the centerline of locking opening 25. This movement is of course effectually preventedby the side walls of locking opening 25.

The locking action of locking opening is enhanced by the configuration of radius 24. The slot .23 and its coacting elements are so proportioned that t e ventilator cover 28 is fully closed just as the follower 20 approaches the beginning ofv curve 24. When the ventilator cover 28 is fully closedfurther movement of lever l3 and pivot .35 mounted thereon is impossible. Pivot hencebecomes stationary and follower 20 rotates around pivot 35., The radius of the curve 241s made a very smalldistance longer than the distance between the center of pivot 35 and the center of follower 20. To force the follower 20 over the curve 24 will necessitate a flexing of resilient member I 4. locking action.

By the above outlined construction an exceptionally, compact operating mechanism is obtained which may be placed in a body as a complete unit from the outside. This mechanism will remain fixed at any intermediate position and is automatically locking in the closed position. The locking mechanism is provided with an adjustment to compensate for manufacturing irregularities and wear and to give the desired locking feel or tension. 1 It is ap arent that certain changes may be made in the details of the construction shown herein, but it is the intention to cover by the following claims such of these changes as are reasonably within the scope thereof.

. I claim as my invention:

1. In a ventilator controlling mechanism, a base plate to which is pivotally secured an operating element and a lever capable of actuating ventilator cover, said operating element and This flexing'assists in the.

said base plate being provided with coacting slots, the operating element and base plate being further connected through a follower journaled in an area defined by the intersection of the slots in the operating element and in the base plate,

the lever being joined tothe follower through a curved resilient link.

2. In a ventilator controlling mechanism, a base plate to which is pivotally secured an operating element and a lever capable of actuating a ventilator cover, said operating element and said base plate being provided with coacting slots, the operating element and base plate being further connected through a follower journaled in an area defined by the intersection of the slots in the operating element and the base plate, the lever being joined to the follower through a curved resilient link which is adjustably secured to a bolt member passing through the follower.

3. In a ventilator controlling mechanism, a base plate to which is pivotally secured an operating element and a lever capable of actuating a ventilator cover, said operating element and said base plate being provided with coacting slots, the operatin element and base plate being further connected through a follower journalecl in an area defined by the intersection of the slots in the operating element and the base plate, in which the center line of the slot in the base plate assumes any convenient shape from the position occupied by the center of the follower at the full open to the full closed position and at the full closed position becomes a curve the center of which is substantially coincident with the center of the pivot joint between the lever and a link which connects the lever to the follower.

4. The structure recited in claim 3 in which the radius of the curve is varied to induce a stress in the link and increase the locking action.

5. In a cowl ventilator actuating mechanism, a base plate, a manually operable handle and a lever capable of actuating a cowl and ventilator cover, the manually operable handle and lever being pivotally secured to the base plate, the

- manually operable handle and base plate having tachment of the lever and manually operable lever to the base plate.

CLARENCE F. KRAMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,710,002 Pearson Apr. 23, 1929 2,021,905 Whalen Nov. 26, 1935 2,148,222 Taylor Feb. 21, 1939 2,177,994 Person Oct. 31, 1939 2,184,294 Furgueson Dec. 26, 1939 2,302,085 Wolfe Nov. 17, 1942 2,306,796 Staley Dec. 29, 1942 

